Physician engagement is one key to make new healthcare innovations prosper, and the American Medical Association is aiming to take a greater role in that area, according to AMA President Robert M. Wah, M.D.
New technologies by themselves are not meaningful without the engagement of physicians, Wah said in a keynote at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's annual conference in Chicago. This is especially true for the next phase of healthcare innovation, which will center on data and analytics, Wah added.
He outlined reforms he says the AMA will promote to help engage physicians in innovation. These include:
- Use lessons gleaned from current regulations to allow of adoption of new tech.
- Make electronic health records patient-focused tools.
- Increase use and reach of telemedicine and remote monitoring.
In this initiative, the AMA will also team up with other health organizations, such as RAND Corp., vendors, policymakers and state medical associations and boards. Announcement